Located six thousand miles west of California, the Mariana Islands include the US Territory of Guam and the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). "The Insular Empire" is a PBS documentary about the Mariana Islands' relationship with the United States, and what it means to be a colonial subject of "the greatest democracy on Earth."

Producer and director Vanessa Warheit began work on the film in 2001. The Hawai`i premiere is sponsored by the Hawai`i Council for the Humanities, the UHM Center for Pacific Islands Studies, the Hawai`i People's Fund, the UHM Department of Anthropology, AFSC Hawai`i, the UHM Marianas Club, and Pacific Islanders in Communications.

The screening is open to the public free of charge. It will be followed by a panel discussion (with the filmmaker and special guests) and refreshments.

For more information, please see the Web site at www.theinsularempire.com, or call the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, at 808-956-7700.

About Us

The Hawaiian & Pacific Collections are located on the fifth floor of Hamilton Library, on the campus of University of Hawaii-Manoa. For general questions about either collection, contact: hawnpac@hawaii.edu This blog began publishing on Oct. 30, 2009, and is edited by Pacific specialist librarian Stu Dawrs. Contact: dawrs@hawaii.edu